Transfer and walker device



Jan. 11, 1944. F. GAHM 2,339,007

TRANSFER AND v WALKER DEVICE Filed Dec. 2, 19.41 2 sheets-sheet 1' INVENTOR.

BYFRHNK GAHM 10.5% Arron/way.

1944- F. GAHM 2,339,007

TRANSFER AND WALKER DEVICE Filed Dec. 2, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. EE ANK GR H M H?- T'OfiA/EY.

Patented Jan. 11 1944 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to a portable frame or structural member for easily raising and transferring articles or persons. It is especially useful in safely transferring invalids or bed patients from place to place or in raising bed patients for placement of pans, etc., or in changing the bed linens, etc. A special attachment is provided for aiding persons to walk in safety and security.

The means employed for lifting and lowering persons or articles involve a mechanism having a large mechanical advantage with sufficient friction to avoid sudden jolts or thrusts whether the transfer device is lifting or lowering the person or article. All the elements associated with the device are strong and sturdy and arranged to center the load in a manner to avoid tilting and also to avoid contact of the person carried by the device and its moving parts.

An object of the invention is to present a portable transfer and walker device that lifts and lowers the load with ease; the device being strong, sturdy and balanced to a low center of gravity.

Another object is to present a transfer and walker device that is simple in construction, has a minimum of moving parts, and which is economical to manufacture.

Other objects, advantages and features of my invention will appear from the accompanying drawings, the subjoined detailed description, the preamble of these specifications and the appended claims.

Applicant is about to illustrate and describe one of the forms of his invention in order to teach one how to make, use and vend the same, but it is to be understood that the drawings and description thereof are not to limit the invention in any sense whatsoever, except as limited by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows my invention in perspective view, parts being broken away for clearly showing the construction.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of a part of the invention, the part comprising an armpit rest.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a broken sectional view taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view, partly elevational and partly sectional of a'coupling part of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a vertical view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 is a sectional view of a detailed part of the invention showing the upper coupling tube.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is an elevational view of a detailed part of the invention taken from the right side of the View shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a view taken substantially along the line Il|l of Fig. '7.

Fig. 12 is an elevational view of the seat and back rest portions of the invention.

Fig. 13 is a view taken substantially along the line |3l3 of Fig. 12.

Figs. 14 and 15 are perspective views of the back rest and seat respectively.

Fig. 16 is a view taken substantially along the line Iii-l6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 shows the general structure of the invention which comprises a metal frame having horizontal side rails l and 2, connecting rail or brace 3,vertical side posts or standards 4 and 5 and movable arms or column elements 6 and 1. So that the entire frame can easily be shifted from place to place, the rear ends of the rails l and 2 are bifurcated to provide bearings for the wheels 8 and 9 respectively, and their forward ends with the casters It and l l respectively. The rails are hollow tubes, the bore of the rail I receives the leg l2 of a rod [3 which is bent at a right angle to form also the leg M, the leg l4 being fixed to one end of the connecting rail 3 in any suitable manner as by the pipe coupler l5.

A bent rod I6 joins the rails 2 and 3, one leg ll of the rod passing into the bore of the rail 2 and the other longer leg I8 into the bore of the rail 3. A set screw or wing nut I9 is provided at one end of the rail 3 so that the leg l8 can be tightened or released. By releasing the pressure of the screw I9 upon the leg IS, the rails l and 2 of the frame can be spread apart. The short legs l2 and I! may be welded or otherwise fixed to their respective side rails.

The side posts 4 and 5 have their lower ends fixed to their respective side rails by the U -scraps 20 and the bolts 2! in the manner illustrated. On the inner sides of the U-strap-s and supported by the bolts 21 are J-straps 22 which are useful when the frame is folded for storage or shipping. The posts 4 and 5 are hollow to provide a tunnel for the lower elongated ends 23 of the arms 6 and l. The elongated ends are at right angles to the arms short ends 6' and l, and they .are provided with teeth 23" to form racks for vertical movement with respect to their respective posts. On the short ends 6' and 1' are the extensions 24 and 25 respectively, each of which has an olfset bend 26 for the obvious purpose of narrowing the distance between them or vice versa, depending upon the circumstances. Each extension has at one end a coupler sleeve 21, see Figs. and 6, anchored thereto in any suitable manner such as by the rivet 28. The inner lower part of the sleeve 2'! is adapted to snugly receive the end of either arm 6 or i. So that the sleeves will not accidentally be released from their respective arm 6 or Y, a loose bar 29 is journalled to the stem of a screw 30, the screw being threadedly engaged with the lower portion of the arm. When it is desired to remove the extensions 24 and 25, it is only necessary to turn the bars 29 so that they will not block the way of the sleeves. The far ends of the extensions have hooks 3| dependent from pipe clamps 32. The clamps are provided with the wing nuts 33 which support the hooks and also can squeeze the clamps together so that they will remain in place. The ends of the extensions have flared portions 34 so that the clamps will not accidentally slip from them. The tops of the posts are rigidly braced by the bars 35, their lower ends have holes to receive either leg H4 or E5 and their top slots to receive threaded studs 35, Wing nuts are provided to securely hold the bracing bars in place. When it is desired to fold the frame, the wing nuts of the studs 35 are loosened, the bracing bars released from the studs and lowered to rest in the J-straps 22; the posts are then dropped into parallel position with' their respective side rails i and 2.

At the top of post 4, there is a housing 3? and at the top of post 5 there is a similar housing 38. These housings carry the gear mechanism for raising and lowering the racks 23, and also support their respective journals 3? and 38 for the shafts 39 and ill. Keyed to the shaft 35 is a pin ion gear 4% and keyed to shaft 46 a similar pinion gear 42, their relative positions and manner of meshing is clearly shown in Fig. 8. Next to the housing 38 is a braking device, the drum 43 thereof being keyed to the shaft 40 and one end of friction band 44 being fixed to the gear housing 38 by a bracket 45, see Fig. 9. This end of the brake band has a coupler strip 45 through which passes a bolt ll having a wing nut, the head of the bolt is attached to a flange at the other end of the band. By this construction, the tightness of the brake band 44 can be adjusted by turning the wing nut on bolt 4?. Obviously, the brake band is provided with a satisfactory lining to contact the brake drum. This construction of the brake allows for an action not readily apparent from the drawings. When the racks are being lowered, the brakes are effective to prevent free fall of the load and also to prevent gravitational fall when the lever 52 is released, in other words, the lever 52 must be worked with the proper dog engaging the toothed wheel 49 in order to lower the load. The wing nut 4'! is adjusted to tighten or loosen the brake band in accordance with the weight of the load. The brake, however, is automatically released when the load is raised as there would be no object in braking a rising load. By referring to Figures 9 and of the drawings, the braking action and non-braking action can be better understood. When there is a load on the extensions 24 and 25, the arms 6 and l will fall and turn the drum 43 clockwise until this motion is arrested by the brake lining 44, this lining being kept in light contact with the drum by the action of the spring 44" upon the band 44. The clockwise turning of the drum tightens the lining about the drum because there is sufficient friction between the two to accomplish this action, therefore, the level 52 must be operated to lower the lead. When the lever is operated to raise the load, the drum 43 is turned counter-clockwise and this loosens the brake lining 44 about the drum, or releases the tight friction fit of the lining on the drum. The spring 44 merely keeps the lining in contact with the periphery of the drum and is not strong enough in its operation to cause any appreciable braking action.

Keyed to shaft 40 is a gear 49, but the ends 50 and 5| of a lever 52 merely have bearing on the shaft 4!]. Between the ends 50 and 5| there is a pin 53 to which is pivoted an escapement-like element 54 having dogs at its ends for engaging the teeth of the gear. An arcuate rod 55 is fixed to the element 54 to provide an eccentric. A coiled spring 56 has one end fixed to the pin 51 and the other end to the rod 55 so that one of the dogs will always be held against the gear 49 and prevent free movement of the gear and the shafts 39 and 40.

In order to transmit power from the shaft 40 to shaft 39 and yet allow the posts 4 and 5 to be adjustably spaced apart at their tops, a coupling tube 60 is used. The end 46' of the shaft is keyed or otherwise fixed to the tube 5!! at one end thereof, and the other end of the tube freely slides over the shaft 39. An elongated slot 6| is provided in the tube 65 and in this slot rides a pin 52 which is fixed to the shaft 39. To prevent the pin 52 leaving the slot, a collar 63 is fixed to the tube by a set screw 63' at one end thereof. In a threaded bore of the collar there is a wing headed screw 54, the function of which is to hold the adjusted position of the tube with respect to the shaft 59. Therefore, by loosening the screws 64 and [9, the top and bottom members of the frame can be adjusted to various widths to suit most any occasion.

Fig. 15 shows a flexible seat comprising a fabric 55 which may be canvas, and which may have the center hole 65. Each one of the reenforced ends of the seat has fastened thereto the connector loops 6'! and 68 which are preferably metal. These connector loops are adapted to be hooked by the hitching elements 69 and 70 respectively which are linked to the chains H and 12 respectively. Any one of the links of the chains may be looped onto the hooks 3| depending from the ends of the extensions 26 of the frame, see Fig. 1'. A flexible back rest, Fig. 14, is, provided having a fabric or canvas portion 13 with reenforced ends holding the metal loops l4 and 75, each of which is provided with the hitching elements l5 and Ti respectively. This back rest may be placed anywheres along the chains H and ,12 depending upon the size of the person being carried. 7

To raise the center portion of a personlying upon a bed and the like to receive a bed pan, the beam 18 and swivel bar 19 is employed, note Fig. l. The ends of the beam has a plurality of holes 8% which receive the shanks of hooks 8| and 82, wing nuts being provided for securely fastening the hooks to the extensions as-shown. At the center of the swivel bar 19, there is a metal loop 83 having a hole 84 at the bottom thereof. This loop is attached to the bar by the pivot bolt 85 which pass'between the joining plates 86 and 8! thereof, a nut 88 preventing the bar from leaving the bolt, see Fig. 16. At the ends of the bar there are the notches 89 and 90 to receive the chains 9| and 92, at the lower ends of which is attached the seat 65.

To aid an invalid to learn walking in perfect safety, crutch-like elements are provided for each extension 24 and 25. These elements comprise a vertical metal strap 93 having its top bent into an inverted U-shaped loop 94 to which is riveted an end of a bar 95, the other end of the bar having a similar inverted U-shaped loop 96. These loops snugly engage the pipe-like extension 24, or 25. To the bar is fixed an armpit rest 91. At the lower end of the vertical strap, there is an adjustable pipe-like hand grip 98. Slots 99 and I09 are provided in the grip to accommodate the strap 93, see Figs. 3 and 4, so that the hand grip can he slid along the strap. Through the grip passes a bolt I9I, the head of which engages a cap I02 at one end of the grip. The other end of the grip has an L-shaped plate I03 through which pass the stem of the bolt. A wing nut I94 holds the L-shaped plate against the edge of the strap so as to hold the hand grip in any position along the strap 93. The lower end of the strap is provided with a stop pin I 05 to prevent the grip leaving the strap when the wing nut I94 is loose.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a carrier device for transferring a load, a frame structure having projecting arms, operable means for raising and lowering the arms, a brake mechanism connected with the said means constructed to continuously check movement of the arms when the operable means is released or operated for lowering the arms, but automatically released when the arms are being raised, said arms supporting a beam, a bar pivoted to the beam, and support means attached to the ends of the bar including a flexible seat.

2. In a transfer device comprising a frame with roller elements attached to the bottom thereof, said frame including a pair of spaced apart upright posts, an arm for each post and coupling means for joining the arms with their respective posts, a shaft extending from post to post and connected with the coupling means at each post for raising and lowering the arms when the shaft is turned, lever means having ratchet connection with the shaft for turning same, a brake drum fixed to the shaft near one of the posts, a brake band surrounding the drum and held in contact with the drum by a light force means, said drum by virtue of said light force means positively gripping the band when turned in one direction and releasing the positive grip between them when turned in the opposite direction.

3. In a portable transfer device for loads comprising a frame work having cantilever extensions to receive the load, coupling means for joining the extensions to the frame work, a shaft connected with the coupling means for raising and lowering the extensions, lever means having ratchet connection with the shaft for turning it, a brake drum fixed to the shaft, a brake band surrounding the drum and held in contact with the drum by a force means, said drum by virtue of said force means positively gripping the band when turned in one direction and releasing the positive grip between them when turned in the opposite direction.

4. The device recited in claim 3 wherein the frame work has a pair of spaced apart upright hollow posts, a pair of spaced apart toothed racks entering into the posts and reciprocable therein, a pinion gear meshed with each rack within the posts and attached to the shaft so that movement of the lever means will rotate the shaft and raise or lower the extensions.

5. The device recited in claim 3 wherein a beam rests upon the extensions and spans the distance between them, a cross rod dependent from the beam and pivoted thereto so that when the rod carries a load, the load can be turned with ease.

6. In a portable transfer device for loads comprising a frame work having cantilever extensions to receive the load, coupling means for joining the extensions to the frame work, a shaft connected with the coupling means for raising and lowering the extensions, lever means having ratchet connection with the shaft for turning it, a brake drum fixed to the shaft, a brake band surrounding the drum and held in contact with the drum by a force means, said drum by virtue of said force means positively gripping the band when turned in one direction and releasing the positive grip between them when turned in the opposite direction, the frame work having a pair of spaced apart upright hollow posts, a pair of spaced apart toothed racks entering into the posts and reciprocable therein, a pinion gear meshed with each rack within the posts and attached to the shaft 50 that movement of the lever means will rotate the shaft and raise or lower the extensions, said posts having a hinged connection to the frame work, bracing means for each post and hinged to the frame work, means on the free end of the bracing means to be latched and unlatched to the top portions of the posts so that when the bracing means is unlatched, the entire device can be folded into a small compass.

FRANK GAHM. 

